The present invention relates to a means for securing a sink in an aperture provided therefor in a drainboard, and more particularly, to a means for securing a sink rim to a sink and to a means for securing the sink rim and sink within the drainboard aperture.
In modern construction sinks are normally recessed in an aperture provided therefor in a drainboard or other countertop arrangement. Sinks of the type manufactured from porcelain coated steel are normally supported and secured in the aperture by using a rim, conventionally manufactured for that purpose, which serves as both a seal structure between the upper, countertop level, flange on a sink and the drainboard and which also serves as a trim member to cover the gap normally left between the edges of the aperture and the periphery of the sink flange. Although there are a great variety of rims commercially available, all such rims when installed have a common structural characteristic. This characteristic includes a generally horizontally extending flange that surrounds and overlies the outwardly extending peripheral flange on the sink and a downwardly extending flange member. The inner portion of the horizontally extending flange overlies and abuts the upper surface of the peripheral sink flange. The outer portion of the horizontally extending flange overlies and abuts the upper surface of the drainboard adjacent the drainboard aperture. The downwardly extending flange member of the sink rim extends downwardly from the bottom surface of the horizontal portion of the rim between the peripheral edge of the peripheral sink flange and the inwardly facing generally upright edge surfaces of the drainboard that define the aperture to provide an attachment member for securing the rim to both the sink and the drainboard.
Prior art devices for securing the sink rim to the sink and to the drainboard generally comprise a plurality of levers, screws and bolts that must be fastened to the sink and to the drainboard from the bottom side of the drainboard and the sink after the sink is inserted in the drainboard aperture. Additionally, with many of these devices, the sink must be held in place by a first workman as a second workman is securing the rim to the sink from the bottom. Thereafter, the second workman must secure the rim to the drainboard by various means including tightening of bolts and screws to secure the sink and sink rim in place in the aperture. This procedure is very tedious and time consuming and in addition requires the workmen installing the sink and sink rim to undergo various physical contortions in order to complete the installation.
The prior art suggests several devices that may ease the workman's task in installing a sink asembly, including devices that can be attached to the sink before the sink is inserted into its drainboard aperture. An example of such a device is a generally vertically oriented rack or racklike device that is attached to the sink rim after the rim is attached to the sink. A plurality of spring-like pawl members are mounted on the inwardly facing edge surfaces of the aperture on the drainboard. When the sink assembly, including the rack-like members mounted on the sink rim, is inserted downwardly into the aperture, the rack-like members engage the spring-like pawls, thereby securing the sink assembly in place. Such devices ease the task of installing sink assemblies, however, they require installation of additional pieces of hardward in order to employ them, i.e., the spring-like pawl members. The installation of extra or additional hardware consumes additional installation time, thereby detracting from an efficient installation procedure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for securing both a conventional sink and sink rim and a sink having an integral rim in an aperture in a drainboard that (a) does not require the installer to gain access to the bottom of the sink or drainboard during installation, (b) that does not require the installation of additional or extraneous hardware, (c) that is relatively simple to use, (d) that can be used with any of a variety of commerically available sink rim configurations, and (e) that secures the sink in the aperture as it is inserted into the aperture. It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for securing a sink rim to a conventional type sink before the sink is positioned in a drainboard aperture, to provide such an apparatus that can be installed on the sink rim simultaneously with the apparatus for securing the assembly in the drainboard aperture.